The Power of Fear
by tauridowning
Summary: "Do you know what I felt when I saw Rebekah collapse onto that couch? Fear." When Stefan watches Rebekah take the (fake) Cure, his hidden feelings for Rebekah hit him like a ton of bricks. What's he going to do about it? **Says Hurt/Comfort, but not dark and sad, like that usually is, I just didn't really know what else to pick! :)**
1. Chapter 1

**Soooo. This is my first TVD fic, and my first one shot (but it could become more, if the mood strikes, which it most likely will.). This is something that's been floating around in my head all day, since I saw the looks that Stebekah shared in the diner and the look of pain on Stefan's face when Bekah collapsed. I probably should have proofread more, like a lot more, but its past 2 am and I have plans with my mother for pedicures and shopping in the morning so I need to go to bed. So, here you go. Enjoy!**

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They were surrounded by an awkward silence, and Damon couldn't handle it anymore. He knew he had screwed up, and he needed to admit it, but he didn't know where to start.

"All right, you're right; I let Rebekah take the cure!"

Stefan stopped in his tracks, his brooding face taking on an "I-told-you-so" expression as Damon turned around to face him.

"I thought for a second – literally, just a second – if Rebekah takes this, then all our problems go away! And I couldn't think of one good reason to give it to Elena. And then Rebekah took it, and I realized… how badly I screwed up."

"So, what's your point, Damon?" Stefan replies with a stern look.

"My point is I'm sorry, okay? I had a… a moment of weakness, Stefan. It's my thing. It's like you and I falling for the same girl – it's **our** thing." And in that moment, Damon truly did look sorry for everything that had gone on not only that day, but their entire supernatural existence.

Stefan scoffs. "Was our thing." Damon looks confused. Last time he'd checked (which was just a few hours ago if he was being honest about his insecurities), Stefan still loved Elena as much as he did. "Look, we've been making the same mistakes for a hundred and fifty years. We can judge Katherine all we want, but we keep repeating our own history, just like she is! Nothing ever changes; it has to stop, Damon!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you know what I felt when I saw Rebekah collapse onto that couch? Fear. And not fear that Elena would never be cured, but fear for Rebekah. I was so afraid that there would be side effects and she wouldn't survive. I was afraid of the moment when she woke up and her heart broke because she realized that becoming human again didn't solve any of her problems." Damon looks at his little brother, stunned at his revelation. "But it's okay, because that fear showed me the solution to our little problem of repeating history. I love Rebekah, Damon. I always have, and I always will. And, of course, I love Elena too. But it's not the same. I stopped being **in** love with her a long time ago, and I feel like most of my fighting for her lately has been part of the competition that has been ongoing since Katherine came into our lives 150 years ago. That competition clearly is part of the doppelgänger curse – look at what it did to Klaus and Elijah a thousand years ago, and what it keeps doing to us.

"I'm done! I can't keep reliving my life like this. I owe Elena a shot at being normal again. Once we give her the cure, I'm getting her out of my life, and I'm getting a life of my own. I just hope that I haven't screwed up things with Rebekah so badly that she'll still consider joining me for it."

Damon was worried about his brother. Stefan had always felt things so strongly. While Damon was glad that Stefan would stop looking so tortured about Elena, he was worried about what it would do to him when someday he realized, and Damon had a strong feeling that he would, that he wasn't actually in love with Rebekah, but jumping to someone familiar. But, at least it was Rebekah, and not Katherine. "Okay, okay… Let's just get the cure and then we'll talk about you riding off into the sunset all by your lonesome or worse yet – with Barbie Klaus."

"You still want to get the cure… Even if you might lose her?"

"It's a chance I'm willing to take, Stefan."

"Well, guess all we have to do is convince her."

The pair continues on their walk to meet with Elena, and Damon starts the conversation again.

"So… Rebekah?"

Stefan sighs heavily. "Here we go…"

"I mean, not that I'm not happy about your Elena-revelation, but are you sure you actually care about Rebekah and you're not just looking for a super intense but familiar rebound? Because, trust me, Beks has quite a taste for torture when she finds out she's been used."

"Damon, I've known Rebekah much longer than you. She loved Ripper Stefan, and while she hasn't been broody, good guy Stefan for long, I think she loves him equally. And I loved her both ways too. I know everybody thought that I was getting close to her again for the group, but I was just happy that you guys gave me an excuse to fall in love with her all over again. Say what you want, but Bekah's not a rebound. That's not possible. She's beautiful and strong and childish. And yeah, maybe she's insecure, too, but aren't we all? And I helped reinforce those insecurities for a while, and I want to love her and fix that." Stefan ended his rant with a gentle smile on his face, just thinking about how much he loved that particular Original.

"Okay, okay. I believe you – you love her. If all your pretty little words didn't prove it, that stupid smile, which I don't think I've ever actually seen on you, definitely proves it."

As they came to a stop in front of the diner, they noticed Rebekah sitting on the hood of a car across the street. Stefan stopped and stared at her longingly, while Damon watched his brother make the face that he makes every time he sees Elena.

"Why don't you go talk to her?" Stefan turned to look at him, about to bring up Elena's demanded meeting. "I'm sure I can handle Elena. I'll clue you in later. Go get your girl." He gave a reassuring smile and nudged Stefan with his shoulder.

Stefan smiled in thanks and walked across the street to Rebekah.

"Here goes nothing…" Damon whispered to himself, talking about his brother's soon-to-be repaired love life, and his meeting with an emotionless, ruthless shell of the girl he loves with his entire being.

"Rebekah, hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm just waiting for my brother to retrieve The Cure from that doppelgänger bitch, so that I can talk some sense into him and take it." She replied indignantly.

"Why do you want to be human so badly, if everyone around you are immortal?" Stefan wanted so badly to understand.

"I want to live, Stefan. I don't want to be stuck in sixteen year old body for eternity. I've lived twenty lifetimes, and while I love my brothers, and I would love my friends, if I were to have any of course, my immortality is what has ruined love for me every time. I want to fall in love and have a family. Mostly, I just want to fit in somewhere. What is the point in living forever if you're always alone?" Rebekah looked down at her intertwined hands as a tear slipped down her cheek.

"Bekah, don't you understand that you are living? You get to do whatever you want, whenever you want and most people would kill for that freedom." She shook her head as more tears fell into her lap. Stefan stepped forward and cupped her cheek with his right hand and pulled her face up to look him in the eyes. "And you do have a family. You have two brothers who love you more than most people could ever wish for, even if they really don't know how to show it." Rebekah scoffed, thinking of how she spent most of the twentieth century in a box. "And you have me. I know our past is really rocky, but we always end up on the same side." He wiped her tears away before pulling her into a hug and gathering his courage. "And as for where you belong, that's right here, in my arms." He heard Rebekah gasp before she pulled away from his embrace and looked at him with wet eyes. Once again, he had to search for the courage to finish his speech. "I love you, Rebekah. I know it seems like that's coming out of nowhere, and I just truly realized it today, but I do. And I don't care how long or what it takes to win you over, but I'm not giving up on us ever again. I will be by your side, day in, day out, until you realize that I'm the one for you, Rebekah Mikaelson, and I will spend every moment of eternity proving that to you."

"You done yet?" He nodded. "Good." She grabbed his jacket and pulled him to her in an excruciatingly loving kiss. They stayed that way for a moment, before she pulled back slowly. "I love you, too, Stefan Salvatore," she said, in her charming lilt, "but I will hold you to your promise to prove your love for me every moment of eternity." She giggled and soon he laughed with her.

"Okay." They both smiled before he leaned forward and kissed her again until they heard someone clear their throat.

Rebekah peeked over Stefan's shoulder and saw her eldest brother standing there, waiting for them to finish their public display of affection.

"Lijah!" She hopped off the back of the car and ran over to her brother before pulling him into a hug. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, darling sister. Now what was it you wanted to speak with me about?" He raised his eyebrow inquisitively.

Rebekah looked back at the man who had just professed his love for her, realizing she no longer cared about the cure. As long as no one forced it on anyone she loved, she could care less about what happens to it. "Nothing… it doesn't matter anymore. You had better call Niklaus and tell him that you've retrieved the curse." As if on cue, Rebekah's phone lit up with Klaus's face, telling her he was calling. "What odd timing brother, we were just talking about you."

"How is your elusive search for the cure going?"

"Quite well, actually. There's someone here who would like to speak to you." She handed the phone to Elijah before skipping back to Stefan and hugging him.

"Hello, Niklaus."

"Ah, big brother! To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I have the cure. I'll be home soon."

"With a long list of demands, I presume?"

"Actually, not that long."

"Alright, well I'll see you soon, Elijah." Once they had hung up, Elijah handed the phone back to Rebekah.

"What do you say, little sister, how would you like to join me on a short road trip?"

She looked at Stefan, considering her options. "You know, I think I'm going to stay on 'Team Good Guys' for a while longer, maybe help Elena realize that emotions really are a wonderful thing to have." She said all this while looking directly at Stefan, smiling brightly as he returned the action.

Elijah let out a small laugh before nodding his approval of her plan and saying a quick goodbye before getting in his car and driving off, after Rebekah and Stefan climbed off the trunk.

"So, girlfriend, shall we go join my brother at the negotiation?"

"Girlfriend, eh? Someone's a little confident." Rebekah teased.

"Well, I love you, and you love me, so I figure it's a reasonable assumption. You should just be glad I didn't jump to fiancé." He heard her small gasp, surprised that he was being so forward about their future. "Yet." He winked before grabbing her hand and pulling a stunned Bekah behind him into the diner just to see Elena snap the small town waitress' neck.

"Well, that's an interesting development." Rebekah said.

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**Okay, time for the guilty rant: for the people who Author Alert me, I'm sure you probably want to injure me for seemingly abandoning my other stories, which I haven't! I swear! It just so happens that my muse only shows up when I have mounds and mounds of homework in each of my classes. So yeah. Hopefully that will change over the summer. **

**And about this story, if you want more, let me know and I will try my best. It will probably just be Stebekah telling their friends and family, and then a minor Klaroline alteration of the episode. Then if the mood continues to strike this season, I may continue to post happier alterations to the upcoming episodes!**


	2. Chapter 2

******112 Views,** **97 Visitors, 6 Reviews, 9 Followers and 5 Favorites** in six days. Do you guys realize how awesome all of you are?! I cannot thank each and every one you enough.  


**So, I know I told a few of you that this would be up last night, but then I went to a movie with my best friend who I hadn't seen or heard from in two days (which is weird, considering we're technically roommates and we have class together). But better a day late than never, right?!**

**Once again, not edited a whole lot, and writing the non-dialogue parts were a bit like pulling teeth, so I'm not promising a whole lot, haha. But enjoy!**

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After a few minutes of silent digging, save for Klaus's grunting, Caroline decided to start a conversation.

"So where's Stef? I can't imagine that you would rather have me doing this rather than your old pal." Caroline asked, while trying to dig the non-existent stake out of Klaus' chest.

"From what he told me, Rebekah and Elena snapped Damon's neck in New York, stole the list of Katerina's recent addresses, and his car, and then ditched his car when it ran out of gas. So Stefan went to play the hero and rescue his brother. Now I believe they're trying to stop Rebekah from taking the cure so they can give it to precious Elena and then we'll all die from Silas' wrath." He muttered the last part bitterly.

"What a shock. It's all about making sure princess Elena is okay." Caroline mumbled, with the same bitter tone that Klaus had.

"Ooh, am I sensing trouble in paradise? Isn't Elena supposedly your best friend?"

"She is, when she's not trying to stake me. And don't get me wrong. I love that girl like a sister and I know she isn't cut out to be a vampire, but that doesn't mean that I don't hate that she's constantly the center of attention."

"Not that I don't agree with you, but you're quite the well-loved and appreciated girl. I highly doubt any events would occur in this town if it weren't for your demanding presence."

"Demanding?" She yelled, stabbing the pliers a little bit further into him.

"Ahh! I mean that in a good way. People don't have a choice but to hang on your every word. You have this confidence and strength about you that tells everyone that you're amazing and in charge. You're truly enchanting."

Caroline paused her work and smiled softly at his kind words. "Thanks. But I don't think you realize how hard I've worked for the past 18 years to make people look at me like that."

"Oh, I think I do. It took me centuries for people to respect and fear me like they do you."

Caroline laughed at the comparison. "That was the entire supernatural world though. The second I step out of Mystic Falls, which I'm going to have to do in a few years, I'm going to lose everything I've worked for. I'll be a nobody." She paused to catch her breath before changing the subject. "But that's not the kind of attention Elena is the center of. Everyone, especially guys, always love her. I'm the Queen Bitch at school, which I actually enjoy, but still. I'm the snotty, cautionary tale for the town's people. I'm an easy lay to the guys."

Klaus but in. "I'd call you anything but easy love."

She laughed softly and rolled her eyes. "You're the exception." She said softly, both of them knowing that she meant so much more than the fact that makes him work his ass off just for a civil conversation. "But above all, to everyone, I'm an 'insecure, neurotic, bitchy little twit' – Tyler's words, pre-werewolf. But the point is I'm always the second choice. And when I think there's a possibility of me coming first, I get desperate and I jump on that chance." She trailed off, sounding ashamed of her past choices. Then realization of whom she was talking to hit her and she laughed humorlessly. "But I don't know why I'm telling you any of this…"

"What do you mean by desperate? The tone of your voice says there's quite a story there. And as for why you're telling me this, I know you don't want to admit it, but you know that I get you, and vice versa." He said softly, trying to show her that he was open to hearing about her past.

"Whatever. When the Salvatore's came to town, I made a move for Stefan. When he turned me down, making it clear he only wanted Elena, I got really drunk. I probably would have wound up that drunk eventually anyways – we were at the annual bonfire – but it was really bad. Bonnie took me to the Grill so I could eat something and sober up since my mom is the Sheriff and all. Bonnie tried to psychoanalyze why I got so drunk so early, I gave her my whole spiel about Elena being everyone's first choice and she couldn't even argue with me because she knew I was right. She got up to get the check, and I was feeling extra pitiful and then I saw a cute guy smoldering at me. I smiled and looked down, and when I looked back up he was gone. I saw him a few days later and we jumped into bed. You can't imagine how humiliating it is to say that to you." She laughed. "Anyways, he bit me in the middle of it, and when I woke up the next morning, I tried to run, but he was obviously faster than me and compelled me. I then became his blood bag and his sex toy."

"Who is this bastard?" Klaus asked, angry.

Caroline laughed. This was about to get ugly. She pulled the pliers out and he grunted before she answered him. "Damon Salvatore."

"What?!" He roared as he spun around to face her. "I'll kill the bastard. Who does he think he is?"

"Are you joking me right now?"

"Okay yes, I used Elena as a blood bag, but I've never compelled a woman into sex. Just because you agreed once, doesn't mean he had a right to force you however many times more, especially not when you were an unsuspecting teenager who didn't even know about vampires."

"Yeah, well, Damon's a bastard. But I don't think that's much of a secret." He gazed at her silently while he watched the memory bring a glint of sadness to her eyes. "As it turns out, I was just a pawn in his game to get to Stefan and Elena anyways. Elena was still the center of attention." She looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath as she felt tears come to her eyes, and she absolutely refused to cry over **Damon** in front of **Klaus. **

"I'm sorry that any of that happened to you." He said softly, gently touching her arm.

She smiled gently, trying to push the tears back. "Um, turn around. I need to keep looking for that stake. I don't plan on dying days before my Senior Prom." He did as he was told and Caroline plunged the pliers into his back again, as gently as she could. "Nobody really knows the full extent of it, so don't tell anyone okay? I told you in confidence. This is your chance to prove to me that I can trust you." She said over his shoulder to him. _Your chance to prove that the feelings I have for you are worth it,_ she thought to herself.

"I wouldn't dream of ruining this moment by spilling your secrets to your friends." Klaus said reassuringly. She smiled and continued to dig around for a stake that they would soon learn was not there.

A while later, Caroline dug too deep and Klaus yelled out in pain.

"Okay! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She paused while he calmed down. "You know what?" She paused to rip the pliers out of his back, "I'm not sorry. Maybe I don't mind talking to you, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve to suffer for all that you've done! So today, we're going to do things **my** way. You want my help? You let Tyler come back to town and you give me your word that you will not hurt him." They glared at each other for a moment before Caroline made herself comfortable in his living room while listening to Klaus suffer in pain for a few long hours.

"I can feel the splinters moving to my heart. Help me!" Klaus managed to grunt out.

"Your word, first." She answered him, not looking up from her phone.

"What makes you think I won't just break my word once you get the stake out?" He countered.

She put her phone down and turned in her spot on the couch to face him. "Because even if you don't want to admit it right now, you value my friendship more than you want to kill him."

He jumped up from his place on the floor. "I will not have my hand forced by you or anyone else!"

"What is wrong with you?! I'm reaching out to you despite everything you've done and you still can't get out of your own way! God! I feel sorry for you!" She screamed as she turned around and attempted to walk away from him. However, he vamp sped around her and stopped in her path.

"Don't turn your back on me!" He roared.

"I should have turned by back on you ages ago!" She yelled.

He glared at her before he realized that he no longer was in any pain and his face softened. "It's gone…"

"What?"

"The pain… The pain is gone. It was never there. He got in my head, Silas is inside my head." He paused as he realized the true gravity of his situation. "You took my mind off it, you brought me back Caroline." He looked into her eyes and for a moment they both forgot that there was a two thousand year old immortal being that was powerful enough to get into even Klaus' mind. In that moment it was just the two of them, two people who always have to save each other, two people who really shouldn't work well together, but they do anyways. He reached his right hand up and caressed her hair gently before cupping her face. They stared at each other for a moment before he slowly leaned forward and very gently pressed his lips to hers. Before either of them could really enjoy it, it was over. He noticed her eyebrows pull together and decided they both needed a distraction. "How about a drink?" He said softly, his breath caressing her face.

She nodded, "A drink sounds great." They both smiled before he lowered his hand and stepped away from her to go pour them both a drink. When they were no longer facing each other, they both gently touched their lips and smiled while hoping that their lips would touch the others again soon. He soon returned with two glasses filled with a brown liquid. She gladly took her glass from him. They both started walking and Caroline started talking again.

"If Silas can get into your head like that, what does that mean for the rest of us?"

"It'll be okay Caroline. We'll figure something out, we always do."

Caroline nodded slowly. "I'm so tired of always having to 'figure something out'." She trailed off, before approaching the door to the study. When Klaus realized where they were about to end up and what Caroline was about to see, he stopped.

"Uh, let's keep walking." He stuttered out, before starting to back away.

"No, I need something to cheer me up; I want to look at your art!" She smiled, grabbing his hand to stop him from walking away from the door and pulling him into the study. Once she was able to look around, her smile widened. "Woah, did someone try to rob the Big Bad?" She joked. He tried to laugh, but it came out sort of strangled. Then she smelled something. "And why does it smell like wet dog in here?" He looked down at his feet and gulped audibly. Realization hit her and she dropped his hand and her smile. "You slept with someone…"

"Caroline I-" but she cut him off before he could explain.

"It couldn't be one of your hybrids, because they're all dead. And werewolves are generally hard to find. So who could it-" Suddenly she felt like an elephant was sitting on her chest. Once again, she was fighting back tears. "Hayley… You slept with that freaking wereslut?!"

"Caroline, please, it just happened, it meant nothing!"

"Nothing?! It was her deceit and lies that led to your hybrids rising against you! The bitch snapped my neck in the freaking **bathroom** of the Grill and you reward the dog with SEX?! You chased Tyler out of town, after killing his mother, might I add, just because he got tricked into her stupid plan!"

"She was working with Katerina. I was holding her here to try to get information out of her and it just happened."

"And how did that plan work out?"

"Not great…"

"Uh huh. And here I was, thinking you were the one person who would actually pick me first, the one person who actually cared about me."

"Caroline you know that I care for you, and I would always pick you before the werewolf."

"Wereslut."

"Right, sorry, wereslut. I'm not proud to admit this, but she played me, quite well. She used my feelings for you and my jealousy and hatred towards Tyler to distract me." He was trying to think of ways to get out of this, until he wondered why she would be so upset about it. "Why do you even care? You've rejected me time and time again. You have made it perfectly clear that we are nothing more than friends, and that even that is a bit of a stretch."

"Are you actually that freaking dense?! You've been around for an entire millennium and you can't tell when a girl is too afraid to admit her feelings?!" She screamed, before realizing what she just said and slapping her hand over her mouth.

"And what are those feelings, Caroline?"

"Well, it doesn't really matter anymore, does it?" She shook her head before turning towards the door. Before she could get anywhere, though, he grabbed her hand and turned her around.

"Caroline, I promise you that Hayley was just a mistake that I wish more than anything that I could take back. Will you please tell me these feelings you're talking about?"

"I care about you. I've been pushing it down for a long time, and when you were talking about Elena and Damon in Shane's office, I realized that there wasn't anything I could do to fight it anymore. That scared me, so I freaked out on you and said things to you that I didn't, and don't, mean, but I wish that I did. Everything would be so much easier if I could just hate you. My friends will never forgive me if, or when, they find out."

"Well from what I learned about Damon today, Elena really has no right to be upset with you."

"Klaus, you killed her aunt, you killed her, even if it was only temporary, turned Stefan into a ripper, and used her as a blood bag until your sister killed her. Even if I told her everything Damon has done to me, and to everyone else on this planet, she wouldn't be able to look past all of that. She's unbelievably self-righteous that way. And Bonnie hates vampires in general, but especially you. I just don't know what to do. I care about you so much, but I always put my friends first… even if they can't manage to ever put me first." He gave her a knowing look. "Okay, fine, they can't manage to put me anywhere! They always assume that I am fine picking myself up after a disaster. But that's who I am – I take care of everyone else, even if I'm completely falling apart, and they've come to just expect it."

"So let me put you first; let me put you back together."

She gazed into his eyes, seeing pure love in their depths. She knows she shouldn't act on her feelings. Her friends would never have to know and things could stay uncomplicated if she kept everything bottled up. But nobody had bothered to take care of her since her dad left them, years ago, and nothing sounded better than the man she was falling truly, head over heels, epic romance, in love with.

"I sh-" She started, but before she could get anything out, he kissed her; a real, passionate kiss this time. He pulled his hands up to cup her face and she set her hands on his chest, before moving them up around his neck and pulling him closer. After a moment, he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers.

"Now, what was that you were saying?" He smirked.

"I was saying that I shouldn't," his head dropped, "**but** I think it's time someone else took care of the group." He snapped his head back up to see her smiling brightly at him.

"Really?" He said hopefully. She nodded in response. He pulled her into another kiss. "Will you stay tonight? Nothing will happen, I just don't want to let you leave my arms, ever again."

"As romantic as that notion is, I don't intend to even enter this room again, much less sleep in your bed, until you disinfect every surface she touched and burn those stupid sheets. Once you do that, then we can talk."

He smiled shyly and nodded. "Sounds fair; I'll call you tomorrow?"

She nodded and kissed him quickly before saying goodnight and finding her way out.

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**So, as you can see, this turned into way more than just a 'slight alteration' of the episode like I said it would be. But I had to change it that much to fit all of that in. I mean, I can't imagine they haven't had Caroline find out about Hayley yet, so I let her figure it out! There's going to be at least one more chapter for sure, but there's a good chance that there will be more than that. I love writing this story, and I don't really want to let it go just yet.**

**Let me know what you think! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yet again, not well edited. But I've been working on this since I posted the last chapter so I kinda just wanted to get it out for you guys. I feel like it might be a little all over the place, considering I wrote it in random chunks, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyways!**

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"Ahh, Bekah. Welcome to the family!" Damon said, reaching out to pat her cheek. Before he reached her, however, she grabbed his hand a twisted it, hearing many bones break in the process.

"Rebekah!" Stefan pulled Damon out of her grasp, while she and Damon snarled at each other. "Calm down!"

"Why, Stefan? Your gang has killed two of my brothers. It's only fair that I at least get to attempt retribution."

"Rebekah, look at me." He cupped her face and looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry we did that, but please, calm down."

After a moment, she relented. "Fine, I'll play nice with your bastard brother."

Damon jumped in, being helpful as ever. "Actually, your brother is technically the bastard."

"Damon! Not helping!" Stefan yelled, once again trying to keep the peace.

"Not trying to." He offered his trademark smirk.

Elena finally walked over and joined the conversation. "Are you guys actually together now, instead of just having meaningless sex because you're both so lonely?" She said with her dead tone of voice.

"Wow. Apparently tact is an emotion now…" Rebekah muttered under her breath.

Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, how about instead of the two of you trying to kill each other, we try to come up with a plan to fix all of this?"

"There's nothing we can do, Stefan. Elijah has the cure and he's taking it to Nik, Elena doesn't want it, and the last sacrifice has been completed. Our only hope for survival is to hand the cure over to Silas and get ready to kill a bunch of revived immortal creatures for a second and final time." Rebekah pointed out.

"Well then we better get prepared, and quick. There are so many people who have died, just in the past two years alone, who are going to want us dead. So you win, Elena. We are no longer searching for the cure so we can force it on you. Now let's go home. Bekah and I will take the stolen car. See you in Mystic Falls, brother." Stefan grabbed Rebekah's hand and walked out of the diner, frustrated with what his immediate future held.

Rebekah could practically hear him brooding so she stopped him as they approached the car. "Stefan, it's going to be alright. We managed to kill all of the people on the other side before. And while it's not ideal, we can kill them all again. You've got to look on the bright side. I'll get my brothers back, you'll get Lexi, and Elena will get Jenna, Jeremy, Alaric. We'll all get back our loved ones. We can do this, and once we do, you and I will live happily ever after, okay?"

Stefan couldn't help but smile at her positivity. "Okay." He leaned in and kissed her. "Thank you, I love you."

"You're welcome, and I love you too." She smiled as he opened the passenger side door for her before speeding around to the driver's side and climbing in. They drove back to Mystic Falls carrying a constant conversation, never letting go of each other's hand.

..

Caroline went to bed as soon as she got home, and when she awoke, she felt happy. She didn't feel a drop of guilt as she had expected, nor did she feel nervous or regretful. Feeling great, she got up and showered before making herself breakfast and getting ready for the day. Once she finished, she decided to head over to the Mikaelson mansion and surprise Klaus.

When she got there, she walked right in, knowing that he would have heard her pulling up to the house. She heard movement in the kitchen and walked that way. "Good morning, handsome!" She rounded the entry way to the kitchen and jumped when she realized that it wasn't Klaus in the kitchen. "Elijah! What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Caroline. I believe I could ask you the same thing."

"I… uh, well… Klaus and I are… um…" Caroline grasped for the right words.

"Please love, do finish that sentence." She heard Klaus behind her and she spun around to see him smiling. "Good morning." He cupped her face and pulled her to him in a sweet kiss.

"Good morning." She smiled at him, gazing into his eyes. They both snapped out of their trance when Elijah clears his throat.

"Sorry, brother, I'd forgotten how uncomfortable affection makes you." He smirked as he slipped his arm around Caroline's waist and faced his older brother.

Elijah let out a soft laugh and shook his head. "Oh how I've missed your wit, Niklaus." Now the brothers were smirking at each other.

"Okay. Before this turns into a fight, I'm going to steal Klaus away. We have a lot to talk about anyways."

Klaus turned his head to look at her. "After you, sweetheart."

She walked out of the kitchen, grabbing his hand to ensure that he followed. She continued to pull him until they reached his study. "So bossy, love."

She rolled her eyes as he leaned in to kiss her. She kissed him back for a moment before gently pushing him away. "I meant it when I said we needed to talk."

"Alright. What would you like to talk about?"

"A few things. First, I was serious when I told you that you need to allow Tyler to come back. We've all come closer to killing you in the past and you never ran us out of town so clearly it has a little more to do with your feelings for me." Klaus looked away from her, confirming her suspicions. "And that is unfair to me. This is Tyler's home. He has the right to be here. I don't want to be the reason he doesn't feel safe here."

"But-" He looked at her to defend his actions when she cut him off.

"No but's. I'm not going to choose him if he comes back." His eyes widened when he realized how truly well this woman understood him. "I know that you've been through a lot in your thousand years, many of which have given you deep rooted trust issues. But if you and I are going to work out, and I want us to, you need to try to get past that and trust me. I'm not going to hurt or betray you – not when it comes to Tyler, or my friends or anyone else. Okay?"

He sighed deeply, thinking about his response, before answering her. "Alright. He can come back. I will call a truce, and wipe the slate clean, for you. But if he so much as thinks about crossing me again-"

"Okay! Thank you!" She kissed him soundly. "So much. Okay, now, second thing – you and I."

"Now that sounds like something far more interesting." He smirked. "So what about you and I?"

"Where do we stand? I want to be all tough and serious and say you're on probation or something, but that's a punishment to me as well. I've spent so long hiding my feelings that I don't want to fight it another second. But there will be conditions. Just because I'm choosing you, doesn't mean I'm not choosing my friends too. So from now on, no more death threats, no more torture, none of that stuff."

"Of course, I will try my hardest, but what about your friends? I can't speak for them."

"I know, and I have every intention of having this talk with them as well. I just wanted to make sure you agreed to it and still wanted to be with me before I brought this all up with them."

"Love, there is nothing that would make me stop wanting to be with you, especially not you requesting me to be nice to your friends. As long as you make the same attempts with my siblings, I don't think there will be any problems."

"Well, now that all of that is settled, do I get to call you my boyfriend now?" She smiled and blushed.

"Absolutely, in fact, I don't want you to ever stop saying it, girlfriend."

She giggled before leaning in and kissing him. What started out as a sweet kiss soon turned passionate, but before long they were rudely interrupted.

"Ughh! Really, Nik?" They pulled away from each other at the sound of Rebekah's voice.

"Bekah, as lovely as ever." Klaus said, stepping away from Caroline. "What are you doing here? Last I remember, you were angry at me."

She leaned out into the hallway to tell Stefan where they were before answering her brother's question. "Well I drove all night to get back here and forgive you for all your nasty behavior, and figure out what we're going to do with Silas, but I find you in here making out with that strumpet."

"Hey!" Caroline yelled out, as Stefan stepped into the room, trying to decide how to react to what he just heard Bekah say.

"You do not come into my house, little sister or not, and talk down on her. She and I have finally figured things out, so you better start being nice, because if I have anything to say about it, she will be around for a very long time. So you can either shut up and make an effort with my girlfriend, or you can leave until you will."

"Fine, I'll keep my mouth shut, alright?"

"Wait, wait, wait. Girlfriend? What is going on Care?" Stefan butted in.

"Exactly what it sounds like, Stef. He's my boyfriend, we're giving this a shot. I could ask you the same thing, you know. What are you doing with Rebekah?"

"Don't get defensive with me. I'm just making sure I have the story straight. And yes, Rebekah and I are together as well, so I have to say I agree with Klaus – you guys really need to learn to get along. Clearly we're going to be spending a lot of time together now."

Caroline just smiled and walked over to Stefan. She reached up and hugged him. "Thank you for being so… Stefan about this." She pulled away. "I just hope everyone else can be a fraction as nice as you."

"Okay, now that you've had your little best friend moment, can we figure this Silas thing out? We're going to need a solid plan."

"You're right, Rebekah. Let's figure this out." Caroline answered with a small smile, which Rebekah, oddly, returned.

* * *

**There you have it. I'm totally not sure where I'm going to go with the whole "Silas" plan, but Lexi, Jenna, Alaric and Kol were some of my favorite characters, so that could play into it, despite how unrealistic it is. But I'd love to hear where you guys think this should go! Clearly this has turned into far more than the two shot I originally planned it to be. So yeah. Reviews are love. ;)**


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